Sup y'all. It's been a MINUTE since I made a beat, and my current computer can barely handle recording my podcast on Audacity. BUT, i've been dying to get back on the horse. My Akai MPK is sitting in the box while the box collects dust. Time to dust it off.
Thus, I have no idea what specs are minimally necessary/good/ideal for production, so I'm asking for your opinions and expertise.
Before we start, I'm NOT an Apple guy, nor will I ever be. PC only.
I'm looking at a laptop w/ an 8-series intel i5 quad core process, 12 GB of RAM (plus 16 GB of Optane RAM) and a 256GB SSD. I've seen it in action and it seems very fast and is actually advertised as being able to run multiple photo and video editing software at the same time w/out slowing down.
The only thing I know about those specs is I may need more HD space because some DAW take up MANY GBs of space, plus VSTs, etc. Now, I THINK those can be stored on an external HD if needed, but again, I'm coming from a place of lacking knowledge.
Can y'all school on the specs of the computer I mentioned...and if that's not good enough, what is?
2. "Those specs are good" In response to Reply # 0
But if I were you, I'd only store all of your applications and VST plug-in data file on your local hard drive. Use an external drive for your beats and bounces. And come up with a good folder organization method because as time goes on and your beat files continue to grow, it could get out of hand really quick.
3. "RE: OKProducers/Beatmakers...laptop specs?" In response to Reply # 0
I'd say 500gb at minimum. If you can get 32gb of ram that'd be the move as well. A daw takes up space but once you start with sample folders and plug ins that 256 will disappear. External HD that's either sad or 7200rpm is a must
Double 0 DJ/Producer/Artist Producer in Kidz In The Hall ------------------------------------------- twitter: @godouble0 IG: @godouble0 www.thinklikearapper.com
4. "the specs are whatever. it depends on what you're using." In response to Reply # 0
If you're using a DAW and an MPK mini and will be making mostly sample based beats with some fx processing, you should be straight
If you're running multitrack MIDI using multiple synth programs, certain programs are a significant resource drain, all by themselves. If you wind up adding, say, Maschine, it can. E a significant resource hog, all by itself.
What you're looking at should be solid for most things, but I'd definitely reccomend looking into an I7. 16 GB RAM should really be your minimum though, and 32 should be your goal.
The 256 SSD isn't a huge deal if you're saving to an external.
If you're rocking with the rig you're describing, I'd recommend spending some time optimizing your OS for production, as that can significantly extend your processing power.
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